Backcomb

noun, verb

noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The hairstyle produced by backcombing.

    "You and your fit friends anyway / I'd take them all out any day / They all got backcombs anyway"

  2. 2
    A decorative comb worn as an ornament and to secure a hairstyle. dated

    "There was a part of a bottle of liquor on the table—the furniture of the hall was disarranged—a pair of slippers, two small combs, and a backcomb were lying near an easy chair."

Verb
  1. 1
    To hold hair and comb it towards the head, thus giving it a bushier look.

    "Her dark-blonde hair, worn long at Oxford, had been cut and backcombed, Diana-style, and quivered when she shook her head."

Synonyms

All synonyms
tease

Example

More examples

"Her dark-blonde hair, worn long at Oxford, had been cut and backcombed, Diana-style, and quivered when she shook her head."

Etymology

From back + comb.

More for "backcomb"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.